Drug Abuse and Addiction
Alternate Names : Substance Abuse
What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?
Several of the following symptoms or signs occur when a person is addicted to a drug. The person may:
be unable to cut down on drug use when he or she wants to
continue to use the drug despite the problems it causes
develop tolerance for the drug, so that increased amounts are needed to get the same effect
find that the drug causes problems in life, such as getting in trouble with the law
have cravings or grow irritable when the drug cannot be used
skip some important activities because of the drug
spend a large amount of time getting, using, or getting over the drug
use the drug more often or more heavily than intended
Physical symptoms vary depending on the drug being abused and the extent of the drug use. The health risks of tobacco, for example, are different than the health risks of drugs such as alcohol or cocaine.
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